Former District Judge Gets 6 Years in Jail

Dan Cohen was extradited from Peru and convicted of taking bribes, fraud, breach of trust and more.

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Gil Ronen, 30/09/13 13:30

Dan Cohen in court

Flash 90

The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced former district court judge Dan Cohen Monday to six years in jail, for taking bribes, fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

In addition, 4 million shekels will be seized from Cohen and he will pay a fine of 6 million shekels.

Cohen was convicted two months ago, in a plea bargain. The state representative said that “The sides will ask the court to send the defendant to six years in jail, minus the three months in which the defendant was incarcerated abroad.”

The charges against Cohen included receiving bribes in three different affairs, in order to advance the signing of deals with the Israel Electric Company, where he was a senior director after retiring from the bench. One of the firms involved in the bribes was Germany's Siemens company.

In 2005, after an investigation by the Securities Authority, he fled Israel to Peru, with which Israel does not have an extradition agreement. Despite this fact, Israel requested his extradition.

After a long and convoluted sequence of events that included decisions to extradite him and subsequent cancellations of those decisions, an agreement was reached between his lawyers and the Israeli Prosecution, according to which he would be brought to Israel and serve four years in jail. However, the deal was canceled surprisingly after Cohen arrived in Israel.